1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a valance support bracket and, more particularly, to a support bracket which is adapted to hold an elongate decorative valance panel in covering relation to the headrail of a horizontal blind assembly, and including means for holding the decorative valance panel in a first position when the headrail is mounted outside of a window or door cavity and a second position when the headrail is mounted inside of a window or door cavity.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Horizontal blind assemblies, also referred to as Venetian blinds, typically include a headrail which contains the operating mechanism for raising, lowering and tilting the horizontal slats of the blind assembly. The headrail is generally defined by a U-shaped, upwardly opening channel having a front wall and a parallel rear wall. The front and rear walls extend upwardly from a bottom wall and terminate at upper rims on opposite sides of the top open gap of the channel which contains the operating mechanism. The rims are typically formed by a return bend in the top edges of the front and rear walls. Horizontal blinds are used in both the xe2x80x9cinsidexe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9coutsidexe2x80x9d type mountings. An xe2x80x9cinsidexe2x80x9d mount is characterized by the headrail being mounted within a window or door wall cavity, wherein the horizontal blind assembly is generally mounted flushly with the room interior wall. xe2x80x9cOutsidexe2x80x9d mounted horizontal blinds are mounted directly on a door or window surface, or on the room interior wall surface, and extend into the room, thereby revealing the opposite ends and the top open gap of the channel of the headrail.
It is well known to attach a decorative valance to the headrail of a horizontal blind assembly for the purpose of concealing the headrail and enhancing the attractive appearance of the blind assembly and window or door. Typically, decorative valances consist of an elongate, generally planar strip of plastic, wood or fabric which may resemble the horizontal slats of the blind assembly. Most plastic and wood valance strips used in the industry are formed to have an end profile that includes an upper lateral lip and a lower lateral lip which are conveniently configured for removable receipt within the grasp of projecting hooks or prongs of a valance bracket. The valance bracket is structured to clip onto the front wall of the headrail so that the decorative valance strip, held within the grasp of the hooks, is positioned in covering relation to the outer exterior face of the front wall. The bracket is securely positioned on the headrail when the top rim on the front wall is received within a bight formed in the clip structure of the bracket. An example of a valance bracket of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,384,605 to Schaeffer et al.
Heretofore, valance mounting brackets have been made specifically for either an xe2x80x9coutsidexe2x80x9d mount or an xe2x80x9cinsidexe2x80x9d mount as described above. When the horizontal blind assembly is mounted as an outside mount, with the headrail mounted directly to the door or window surface, or the interior wall surface, it is desirous to support the decorative valance at a position which hides the top open gap of the headrail channel from normal view. More specifically, with an outside mount, a specifically designed outside bracket, often referred to as an xe2x80x9cOBxe2x80x9d bracket, is used to support the top lateral edge of the decorative valance strip at a position which is higher than the top rims of the front and rear walls of the header channel. Alternatively, when a horizontal blind assembly is mounted as an inside mount, a specifically designed inside bracket, often referred to as an xe2x80x9cIBxe2x80x9d bracket, is used to support the decorative valance strip so that the top lateral edge of the valance strip is at approximately the same level as the top rims of the front and rear walls. This lowered position of the IB bracket is also necessary to prevent obstruction when mounting the headrail to the overhead surface of the window or door cavity. Presently, there is no known valance mounting bracket which accommodates both an inside mount and an outside mount of the horizontal blind assembly.
A further shortcoming in the present state of the art is the inability of valance mounting brackets to accommodate various heights of valance strips. The height (vertical) of the valance strip is measured between the top lateral edge and the bottom lateral edge. Existing valance mounting brackets are generally made to accommodate a specific size valance strip. Unfortunately, depending upon the manufacturer of the valance strip, the actual height of the valance strip may vary, despite being identified as a particular standard size. Because the hook or prong members of existing valance brackets are not sufficiently resilient and flexible, they often crack or break off when attempting to secure a valance strip to the bracket which is higher (i.e. greater distance between the top and bottom lateral edges) than the standard. Moreover, valance strips which are lower in height than the standard cannot be adequately grasped by the prong members of existing valance brackets and, as a result, these reduced height valance strips often dislodge from the brackets and fall from the headrail.
Accordingly, there is an urgent need in the blind industry for an improved valance bracket which accommodates both an inside mount and an outside mount. Further, there is an urgent need for an improved valance mounting bracket which accommodates a range of heights of valance strips.
The present invention is directed to a valance bracket which removably attaches to the front wall of a U-shaped headrail of a horizontal blind assembly for supporting an elongate decorative valance in covering relation to the front wall in order to conceal the headrail from view. The bracket includes a vertically extending main body having a front face and a rear face. Upper and lower prong members project outwardly from the top and bottom ends of the main body, respectively, and are structured and disposed for accommodating a range of valance heights in grasped, captivated receipt between distal ends of the prongs and the front face of the main body. An integral arm member extends downwardly from the top end of the main body, in spaced relation to the rear face for removably clipping the bracket to the front wall of the headrail at select positions, including a raised position when the headrail is xe2x80x9coutsidexe2x80x9d mounted and a lowered position when the headrail is xe2x80x9cinsidexe2x80x9d mounted.
With the foregoing in mind, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a bracket for securing a decorative valance strip to the headrail of a horizontal blind assembly, and wherein the valance bracket is adapted to hold the valance strip at a plurality of select positions to accommodate both an inside mount and an outside mount of the horizontal blind assembly.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved valance mounting bracket which is structured to accommodate a range of valance strip heights in a manner which holds the valance strip securely within the grasp of the bracket without breaking the bracket or dropping the valance strip.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an improved valance bracket which functions as both an inside bracket (IB) and an outside bracket (OB).
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an improved valance bracket which functions as both an inside bracket (IB) and an outside bracket (OB) and which is formed as one integral piece.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an improved valance bracket, as described above, which is inexpensive and easy to install.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an improved valance bracket, as described above, which is of a low-profile design so that the valance bracket is not easily viewable when installed to hold a decorative valance strip on the headrail of a horizontal blind assembly.